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Salimos: Maadi Fusion Restaurant

Published On:
26/06/2010

Great
fusion cuisine isn't often easy to come by in Cairo's restaurants. After a stubborn search
for a dining menu with a twist, Salimos seems to fit the bill.

Upon
arrival, the first surprising discovery was how empty the location was, despite
it being a Thursday night. Before any hesitance could be acted upon, a friendly
staff member ushered us in, asking for our seating preferences. Due to the loud
television sets showing a local soccer game, we decided to sit outdoors, only
to be met with a television set for every table. The fans and abundance of
plants helped to keep up the atmosphere, though, and the cosier semi-circle
couches were a comfortable choice.

The
menus were promptly placed in front of us, and they were quite the textbooks:
thick hard covers spanning across meal courses and celebrating a fusion of
Spanish, Moroccan, French, Italian, Lebanese, Greek and Turkish cuisines. The
menu hit a soft spot for bravely boasting fusion items such as chicken and peach
spring rolls with sweet-chilli sauce (26.50LE), or Casablanca Moroccan beef with
dates (64LE), which we quickly ordered. We also settled on a more standard dish,
the Salimos salad (34.50LE), which featured salmon and crushed walnuts in a
honey dressing.

Our
drinks were served immediately, and only fifteen minutes later, all of our
dishes were placed before us and the sampling began.

The
spring rolls were a delicious take on the tired, oil-soggy recipe that most
other restaurants offer, with peaches sweetening the flavour, and a hint of
cinnamon, ginger and coriander for an extra kick. The beef was very tender,
accompanied by a side of plain basmati rice and a small dish of harissa. The
date sauce was highly addictive and worth sopping up the rice with, but ladling
a spoonful of harissa onto the basmati was undeniably a mistake. Too smoky for
its flavour to be appreciated, avoid the harissa, or at least first sample it
on a small portion of rice if you must. The salad's lettuce was surprisingly
crisp; a rarity among Cairene salads of wilted greens. Furthermore, the combination
of smoked salmon, honey and crushed walnut was refreshing.

The
waiters quickly cleared our table, and we asked for dessert, but were
disappointed to hear that the curious desserts listed on the menu were not
available. However, the fridge display included a handful of gateaux options,
such as banana-choco, Mars, sweet potato, and walnut. Settling on a date
gateau, we found it tasty but a bit too sweet. Overall, Salimos is definitely
worth visiting for a relatively cheap, interesting meal, as it averages at 100LE
for a full meal.

With the host
looking like a bouncer guarding the exclusive entrance, this easily missed spot
at the crossroads of 26th of July and Gameat El Dowal Streets looks more like a
night club than a café. However, walking
past the ‘bouncer’ into the café reveals a much more relaxed vibe, in grand
surroundings fit for– dare we say– Mount
Olympus, rather than a Cairo restaurant.

Reliefs of Greek
lettering and symbols wrap around the walls and wood accents, giving the
outdoor area an earthy quality. Stone
flooring illuminated with blue lights and multi-level walkways make for an
interesting design concept. The café has an outdoor area with dim mood
lighting, regular dining tables, a bar and an open ceiling, while the indoor
space is brighter and divided behind glass and air conditioned, with ivory
medallions on the walls and ivory leather chairs.

At the time of
our visit, the crowd included old and sophisticated and young and hip alike,
though the outdoor area was twice as popular as the indoor seating. Maybe the row of flat-screen TVs playing
Mazzika and a rolling Playstation unit (30LE per hour) are slightly off-putting
to some. We didn’t think so; they also
have free Wi-Fi; just ask for the password.

We decided to
stick with the oriental/Mediterranean/Greek theme by selecting the Oriental
salad (25LE). Arriving in a square dish,
the mix was divided in four sections and came with a garnish of tomato and
fried crispy bread that should have been already mixed into the fatoush. The
rest of the fatoush was good, the predominantly cucumber portion was tangy and
well-seasoned with various herbs and spices. The taboulah was well-mixed and tart, with equal portions of parsley,
tomato and cracked wheat. While we must
admit we’re not hummus fans, this one we could eat; and its taste was enhanced
by the delicious Greek style flatbread basket. The tomeya was light, creamy and subtle enough not to create a garlic
force field.

We weren’t such
fans of our main course of lamb fatta (52LE): though the portion was huge, the
meat was a bit bland and could have been fresher. The pulled chicken with
fries, rice and roasted vegetables (49LE) was beautifully roasted, succulent
and flavourful, but the vegetables came shredded on top when we were expecting
them on the side. The breast was a
little tough and we could have done without the plain rice.

We quenched our
thirst with fresh watermelon juice (16LE), which was divine, refreshing and the
best we’ve had. The Florida
fruit cocktail (18LE) was thick and fruity with mango, strawberry and guava.

Dessert was an
average Nutella crêpe that consisted of four rolled halves with real Nutella
and a nice light cream cheese sauce with a drizzle of chocolate: not bad but a
bit forgettable.

Finally, we had
to sample their shisha menu: with flavours like Halls, Chicklets and Strawberry
Ice, it was hard to resist. Not being
big shisha smokers, we were happily content with the smoke of our Strawberry
Ice (20LE) being light, though the shisha guy adjusted that soon enough and all
you regular puffers would have been be just as pleased, we’re sure of it.

Overall, Eros
strikes us almost as a Greek temple to the Gods, a very cool café with décor
that’s definitely unique and special for Cairo.